Elvira gemignani giacomo puccini biography

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In 1905, he bought a Sizaire-Naudin, which was followed by an Isotta Fraschini type "AN 20/30 HP" and some FIAT cars, all good for trips with family and friends, but unsuitable for his beloved hunting sessions. But he was also a great tormentor of women.

"Puccini was certainly an attractive man," says Jacobshagen.

You only have to look at some of the portraits of the composer to agree: the well-dressed Tuscan comes across as noble and graceful.

Austrian composer Alma Mahler-Werfel even thought that Puccini was "one of the most beautiful people" she had ever seen, a Don Juan, like an "English gentleman with romantic blood." Alma, a coveted beauty herself, knew what she was talking about.

Completing his dashing image, the composer was a passionate hunter and a technophile.

Fosca Gemignani, married Leonardi (1880-1969), beloved step-daughter, was the mother of the famous fashion designer Biki (Elvira Leonardi married Bouyeure, 1909-1999). The marriage was troubled, and Elvira began an affair with Giacomo Puccini in 1884. The fifth of nine children, he was the last descendant of an unusual dynasty that for a century and a half had dominated the musical life of Lucca.

To add to this, they both married on January 3, 1904 even though Elvira knew her husband’s activities. He submitted to surgery for a larynx cancer in Brussels on November 24, and died a few days after November 29, 1924.

The descendants

Antonio (1884-1946), the only son of Giacomo and Elvira Bonturi, had no children from his wife Rita Dell'Anna (1904-1979) whom he married in 1933.

Spanning from the 1880s to the 1920s, Darclee became well known for her interpretations of French operatic characters such as Marguerite in Gounod’s Faust and Juliette in Roméo et Juliette. Their relationship is one that has been recorded officially, in several letters Puccini noted his sadness for having met her too late in his life. The stay in Milan was an important period for the young Puccini, who came into contact with the world of music of the period and the Scapigliatura movement (a group of intellectuals who wanted to rebel against courtly art forms choosing freedom of inspiration and imagination).

Opera successes

He met Pietro Mascagni and they shared a room for a few months.

In the late 1880, after obtaining his diploma at the Istituto Musicale Pacini in Lucca, he continued his studies at the Milan Conservatory. Elvira’s story remains a compelling chapter in the larger narrative of Puccini’s life, illustrating the intricate interplay of love, jealousy, and artistic brilliance.[1]

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This article "Elvira Puccini" is from Wikipedia.

elvira gemignani giacomo puccini biography

Biki derived her art name in honor of Puccini, who as a child called her Bicchi (from "birichina", naughty girl).

  • Wikipedia page on Giacomo Puccini in Italian and in English
  • A RAI documentary on Puccini's life, with period footage by Puccini himself, excerpts from his letters, memories of directors, musicologists and musicians.

    In 1928, her voice could be heard on the first recording of Madame Butterfly.

    As a matter of fact, Puccini was not a classic philanderer: his temperament was friendly but shy and lonely, his hypersensitive nature led him to live with deep emotion his relationships with women.

    His first love was Elvira Bonturi (Lucca, June 13, 1860 - Milan, July 9, 1930), wife of a merchant from Lucca, Narciso Gemignani, from whom she had two children, Fosca and Renato.

    There has been a substantial reconsideration of the legendary image of Puccini as an unrepentant womanizer, a reputation that was fueled by biographical events and by his own definition of himself as "a great hunter of wild birds, opera librettos and beautiful women".

  • Early Years

    Puccini was born in Lucca, Tuscany, on 22 December 1858 from Michele Puccini (Lucca, 27 November 1813-23 January 1864) and Albina Magi (Lucca, 2 November 1830-17 July 1884).

    However, Ricordi continued to have faith and supported Puccini for many years. Marrying his work with play, Puccini’s lovers were conveniently the ones who would go onto secure the legacy of Puccini the composer for centuries to come: 

    Married to David Seligman, prominent banker at the time, Sybil’s relationship with Puccini is the least documented one of them all.

    As a result of this relationship, Doria would kill herself as she was being shamed by Elvira for being a harlot despite medical records noting that she died a virgin.